Merry Halloween
by robert3A-SN
Summary: Annie puts on her sexy Santa outfit again for a Halloween costume, only this time she's made her character grow from a brainwashed baby into someone smarter, more grown up and mature – which inspires Jeff in a number of ways. Jeff/Annie. Now rated M for smutty final chapter.
1. Chapter 1

Jeff strolled into the study room early on Halloween night, wearing his perfect Halloween costume. He was only 20 minutes late and wasn't even the last one there – Annie was nowhere to be found for some reason. But showing off this costume was worth getting here 10 minutes earlier.

"All right, I know this'll be hard for you people. But don't get me 'stuck in the middle with you' and your praise right now. Lock up your 'reservoir' for the party, k?" Jeff warned, while making sure his black suit and tie overshadowed his words.

"By the hammer of my sickening adopted brother! What are you supposed to be, unremarkable human?" Abed requested in his full on Loki costume.

Troy said something afterwards, but no one could understand him through his Bane mask. He then lifted it up and complained, "This is the last time I let Garrett touch my voice box stuff! How am I supposed to be Bane if no one can understand me? Where's the logic in that?"

Britta them added a few points while wearing her old dinosaur costume, with only a few touchups to make it more lizard like. "You know, I could have played the guy who breaks men's backs. But I just had to be the only summer super villain no one remembers. You're lucky I'm still a kick-ass progressive dinosaur in my head."

"Yes, your head has a dinosaur brain in it, that's been established. Now back to not raving about my costume," Jeff returned the focus to him.

"What's to rave about? You're playing the Men in Black, but you don't even have the sunglasses! Or the blackface! Racist much?" Pierce uttered, not wearing a costume. "You're just as bad as these guys when they took my Charlie Chaplin costume and mustache away!"

"Pierce, Charlie Chaplin's shirt and hat never looked like…..well, that!" Shirley assured, dressed in another blond wig and pink dress – only this time with a name tag reading 'Miss Piggy – just this ONCE' on it.

"Just because Leonard and his gang tell you something doesn't mean it's true. They'll tell you myself when I get through with them, cause I know piggy kung fu!" She then backtracked and told Jeff, "Sorry, I know spoofing the Matrix is your thing, Jeffrey."

"Okay, if you're _that _determined to rave about it, fine!" Jeff pretended to be annoyed. "For the record, when you rave later, it'll be because I'm the last surviving member of the Reservoir Dogs, 20 years later."

"But puny human who's beneath me, you don't look a thing like-" Abed/Loki started before Troy spoke up incoherently in his Bane mask. "Right, of course. I forgot Earthlings aren't all evolved enough to watch the end of a 20-year-old classic. That will change when the Chitari come, don't you worry."

"Hey, I'm gonna get to it!" Britta spoke up. "Once Tarantino finally brings in Uma Thurman to shoot those douchebags up, I'm sure I'll get to the end next time! So see you in Hell, Harvey Keitel!" she quipped at Jeff.

"Good, Britta got one line right, so now we can go. Let's make it quick, I got four parties and four best dressed costume prizes to visit after this," Jeff pressed.

"Wait, where's Annie?" Pierce asked. "I wanted her to see my Chaplin more than anyone! She'll make you pay for censoring me then, Hitlers!" Troy spoke another series of muffled, incoherent words in response – but then the words "Holy crap" actually came through quite clearly.

Before Jeff could ask about it, he heard the words "Merry Halloween, everyone!" from Annie's voice. When he turned, he nearly ripped off Troy's sentiments.

Annie had not just arrived in a costume – it was the exact same Santa costume Jeff got a private viewing of 10 months ago. Now it, and everything it exposed all too vividly, was on display for all to see. And for Jeff too.

"Cool Reservoir Dogs 'costume' Jeff," Annie said as she marched up to him. Jeff heard her because focusing on her lips was all he felt safe doing at the moment – and even that was risky. However, Annie went behind him and whispered in his ear, "So since I gave you that, please don't give any lectures until I'm done talking, okay?"

If Annie had been in front of him or even besides him, there's probably no way Jeff could have heard her with her chest in his eyesight. The clever but unbelievably cruel minx. For that much, at least, Jeff figured he could keep quiet and plan out all his lectures in the meantime.

"Oh, An-nie, you didn't have to do this," Shirley spoke, having beaten Jeff to the punch on lecturing. "Just because there are so many slutty nurses, maids, schoolgirls and Leias out there, it doesn't mean you have to out slut them. And with stuff from the wrong holiday."

"Shirley, I'm not trying to outdo any sluts," Anne said without even stuttering or blushing at the s-word. "Besides, they just dress like that to be slutty or act out some movie character. I created this character myself….and this isn't the first time I've played her."

That it wasn't. But thinking about that wouldn't help Jeff at all. He tried to keep his mind blank, and stare at the walls at all times, as Annie trotted towards Abed. "Loki, I'm sure you tortured Abed into telling you about Glee club last year."

"Ah yes, one of the more evil acts I've made someone confess to under torture," Abed played along. "If he told it right to make the pain stop, you dressed just like that after he helped brainwashed you. Then you used that outfit to- "

"Become a brain dead, baby talking Santa baby, that's right!" Annie stopped him, sparing Jeff in more ways than one. "It was one of the more childish things I've ever done, and that's saying something. But this time I'm redeeming Santa baby. I was going to do it for Christmas, but I was so excited I couldn't wait! Besides, doing it on Halloween makes it even funnier, and in character!"

Troy spoke unintelligibly again, yet Annie understood him and answered, "No, not like that, Bane! It goes deeper than that! When I dressed like this before, I was embarrassing. But it's been 10 months, and now this character is more evolved. She's smarter, she's more mature, and she doesn't talk wike a baby anymore! Not more than a few times a boopy-doopy hour!" Annie baby talked, which both relieved and turned Jeff off in equal fashion – though not as much as 10 months ago.

"Okay, so that and a Christmas costume for Halloween means she's still a bit ditzy. But that's the point. It doesn't mean she hasn't gotten better." Annie spoke normally. "She's learned from her mistakes and she wants to be a real adult now, and she knows in her heart she can be a pretty good one. That's why she's back tonight to have fun without being a baby."

"Right, I'm sure _that's_ the kind of fun everyone will want with her," Britta chimed in. "Not acting like a slutty stereotype would be easier without dressing like one, wouldn't it?"

"I told you, she's not that far along yet! In almost every other way, she is!" Annie reminded. "That's why it won't matter if they look at her like that! Like she's still just a bumbling, inappropriately sexy girly girl who has dumb moments sometimes! But now she's grown up enough to know that's not true. That she's more than that and she should never give up trying to be," she assured, as it got through to Jeff that she wasn't just talking about who she claimed to be talking about.

"That no matter how much you humiliate yourself, you can always go on and try again to be better. To show yourself and others you're more than what you were at your most idiotic. That your worst behavior isn't who you really are, and it just takes being brave enough to prove it to yourself, and everyone," Annie laid out. "I don't know….playing someone like that really appeals to me, I guess. That's why I couldn't wait two more months to do it."

With that, no one else had anything to say, so Annie turned to the person she specifically told to keep quiet. "Okay, Jeff. Now you can say whatever you want, then we can go to the party."

Annie smiled her determined smile, prepared for whatever Jeff would finally say. What's more, the others were anticipating a big show and another Jeff/Annie blowup as well. But all the things Jeff would have said to trigger that escaped him now. In fact, all words escaped him at this moment.

The only four words that he managed were, "I'll be right back," before he got up and left the study room.

"That's it? You took the great dictator from me and _that's _what steals the show instead?" Pierce complained. "Well, my famous goose dance steps should still save this travesty!" Yet everyone united to stop him from saving the travesty. All except for Annie, who stared at the open study room entrance and tried not to fear the worst, or most aggravating, when Jeff came back.

At least Annie knew what she was doing at the moment, which is more than what Jeff knew as he walked through the halls. He was too clogged up with thoughts, ideas, and those annoying feelings things as he walked on autopilot.

There was one thing he wanted to do, but he was too blocked up to know exactly why. There were plenty of theories, but they were too piled together – and if he actually thought about them, he'd lose the nerve to do it. So Jeff kept himself blocked and thoughtless as he marched into the Dean's office.

For the first time ever, Jeff felt lucky enough to see him still in his office. He took a quick look at how the Dean had on a Black Widow cat-suit, a red wig, cat-like ears, a cat-like tail and some kind of cape with spider pictures on it. But the millions of jokes and creeped out shudders about it could wait until tomorrow.

"Let's cut to the chase. We both know there's a Santa costume somewhere in your closet of wonders. Maybe even a male one. I will pay you one Saturday afternoon of my time at the mall, and one karaoke song with _no tweeting_, if you give me that costume tonight," Jeff offered without bothering or wanting to explain why – to anyone in that room.

"Prove it's been thoroughly washed this week, and you might get one _untweeted _video out of the deal too. But you get nothing if I don't get that costume. _Now._"

By miracle of miracles, the Dean had a Santa costume that was appropriate for non-Dean Pelton people to wear. He saved the wacky stuff for the beard and hats, but Jeff wouldn't need any of those anyway. Just the red suit, belt and even some big black boots would make do for whatever this was.

Jeff still didn't feel like examining whatever this was, as he just went about and did it. However, part of him still knew he'd need an answer or two when non-Dean Pelton people saw him as Santa Claus.

Unfortunately, that part wasn't loud enough to signal Jeff in time when he arrived at the library, or when the study group saw him. And it certainly didn't get to him before Annie noticed either.

"Oh my God, Jeff, you've got to be kidding me!" Britta called while barely containing her laughter. "_This _is what you do when you actually dress up?"

"Britta, don't attack him for finally doing _something _Christian! Especially on the devil's holiday!" Shirley defended, but then added, "Dressing as the wrong Christmas symbol, now there's something to nitpick. Especially since you probably weren't inspired by _Christmas_," she hinted at the point.

"I must admit, for a lowly, made to be ruled human, this is a trick worthy of the Gods/aliens," Abed praised as Loki. "Abed would call this a milestone in your character development. If I hadn't frozen him with the frost giant powers I illogically lost before my second adventure. But that's for other lesser directors to fix next time!"

Annie didn't even wait for Pierce or Troy to chime in, blurting out, "Hold on a minute, I forgot something at the study room! Can't question anyone with that in my head, can I? Jeff, can you help me look for a minute?" Though she wasn't fooling anyone, Annie still left and signaled for Jeff to follow her.

"You seemed smarter than me at hiding feelings when I met you," Britta dug in. Jeff couldn't even get a last-second dig back at her, since he'd have to save his best words for Annie.


	2. Chapter 2

When Jeff and Annie got to the study room and closed the door, Annie did the talking first. "Jeff, what is _this _all about? Are you mocking me? Or are you trying to scare guys off from drooling over me? If it's not any of that, please tell me now, so we don't fight and I don't ask you to leave or something."

"Kicking me out of Halloween. How Christmas-y of you," Jeff said since he had nothing better at all. But he quickly knew he still could have done a little better.

"Jeff! I told you to say whatever you felt _before _the party! Instead you _do_…._this?!_" Annie asked. "You're not ruining Halloween because of your issues with my sexuality, okay? Why else would you _dress up _because of me?"

"Like those issues aren't the reason you're Santa baby again," Jeff responded, again regretting he had nothing better. Yet the longer he attacked, the longer he didn't face questions he couldn't answer. "You can say it's about you looking more adult to everyone. But _everyone _didn't see you like this before, just me. So who are you really improving yourself for?"

Yet Annie didn't blush or stammer as she answered, "I did this because of how I _acted _around you, not because of _you_! I'm doing something meaningful to me, so if you're gonna help make this one of our old fights, you _should _go!"

Annie cooled herself down a bit, but she had enough left over to add, "And that's not even an accurate Santa! Even with a real costume, you still couldn't hide your precious hair and chin, could you?"

"Well, it's October, the beard and hat hasn't come in yet! That _does _make me an accurate Santa!" Jeff responded, despite being puzzled on why he mentioned that. However, this sounded like another good stall tactic before he had to leave or talk more about motives.

"You have your attention to character detail, and I have mine. And since it's not Christmas yet, Santa doesn't need beards or hats now!" Jeff theorized. "But he's getting there, so that's why he has the suit and boots! He's not Santa yet, but he's making progress! After all this time of not being a beloved, loved or even liked figure for good little boy or girls…..or good men or women….he's finally almost there again."

Jeff was once again on pure autopilot, since if he stopped to think about his words for a second, he'd probably cast himself out of the party. So something inside him made sure he didn't think and just kept going.

"He's so close to being the person he knows he should be. And wants to be for those who look up to him. But he needs more time and he's not finished yet," Jeff pointed to his mostly complete costume. "So while he's waiting, he's come here to pass the time with an old Christmas friend…..someone who's a lot more evolved and further along than he'll ever be. I don't know, playing someone like that just seems appealing to me," he echoed Annie.

By now Jeff was starting to hear himself and how he sounded. Yet after being so clogged up with his thoughts earlier, getting some of them out – and actually figuring out what they were – felt more freeing than what he felt earlier. In addition, other new points got into his brain and were promptly blurted out.

"If I just wanted to scare other men from you, I wouldn't need a costume, would I? I never use real costumes to do anything!" Jeff made Annie realize. "Except maybe to show some solidarity with an aspiring adult like myself. That's a new use of my time."

Annie paused just long enough for this to actually hit Jeff. He knew Annie's costume – and why she was wearing it again – had some effect on him, but not like this. Before it made him want to run away, take it all back and worm his way out of this, however, Annie spoke up.

"You realize what they'd think we were if they saw us together like this," Annie stated, shying away from the c-word. "And you can handle that? Or at least correct them in a calm, normal way?"

Now that Annie was shattering the chance for escape, Jeff's calm and normal disappeared for a moment. Yet when he realized she was letting him stay, something more….content washed over him. It made him say, "That's another new thing, but I'm doing good with those so far."

"So if you come back out there, dressed like this with me, you'll be on your best behavior? No acting out, no jealousy, none of it?" Annie made sure.

"What the hell, maybe trying those new things won't kill me either," Jeff admitted, before realizing he'd admitted his past jealousy already. And by realizing that, he'd just admitted it to himself too.

Geez, what the hell was the Dean's costume doing? Jeff knew it wasn't properly cleaned last Friday, no matter how many laundry bills Pelton showed him! Yet it was too late now, as Annie opened the door for them to return to the party.

With no way out, Jeff had to escort Annie back, looking like they were dressed in couples costumes. However, instead of being struck with fear and denial at that, Jeff responded by asking Annie, "Mi'Santalady?"

The suspicious frown that Annie had for most of this talk disappeared, replaced with a more typical sweet smile – and a rapidly more typical teasing one. "You're not Santa yet, so you're still Milord for now," Annie needled before leading him back to the group.

Staying by her side like this, in front of people and in this costume, was awkward for Jeff. Whenever some other man talked to Annie, Jeff willed himself not to listen or look – and not listening to other people used to be much easier. When she dropped a wrapped piece of candy and bent down to get it, Jeff looked harder at the floor than at anything else he'd ever seen.

But when she dropped something else, Annie asked Abed to get it for her, in lue of showing 50% of her chest by picking it up herself. This made thing easier for Jeff in theory, at least until Annie thanked Abed and played along with his Loki routine for a while. So he decided to chime in as Santa, which didn't technically violate Annie's rules.

Nevertheless, Jeff did manage to keep up as Annie went deeper into character. She really had planned out how Santa baby had evolved these last 10 months. There were still a few moments of uncomfortable baby talk, yet since they were spaced out, the uneasiness faded away pretty quick.

It was easier when the less uncomfortable, more intelligent – and even more fun – parts of her dominated for the most part. As if the best of her really did make her worst moments seem meaningless, instead of a reason to stay far away.

But Jeff still feared Annie wasn't comfortable not staying away from him. She still looked weary that the other shoe could drop any minute – maybe not for unfounded reasons. Yet before that could happen, Jeff knew he had to do something.

Then for only the second time in his time at Greendale, he was inspired by Halloween dance music.

And for the second time, that music inspired him to go up to Annie, and offer her his hand in dance. Then for the second time, he twirled her around in the dance, just like three years ago on this very night.

The symmetry of that did more things to Jeff that he didn't want to examine. But unlike when he was clogged him before, he felt less on edge and prickly about it now. Perhaps having Annie twirling next to him had a role in that.

Last time it was easy, since he barely knew Annie then and she was just in a skin tight black cat suit – back when it wasn't so complicated to notice things like that. Now after all this time, and with her in a more plunging costume, he had to be more careful. So as he had all night, Jeff just focused on Annie's face and anything else above her chest.

But the more he saw her smile open up, he clenched up inside more than he would have if he just saw her Christmas goodies. And yet when he wound up smiling as well, that tightness ebbed away – in at least one sense. However, even those thoughts didn't make him let go of her until the music stopped.

When it finally did, Jeff felt something he never was in front of Santa Annie last time – open and relaxed. He rarely let himself feel that way in front of regular Annie too, so he savored the rare moments that he did. But before his nerves and denial brought an end to it, like usual, Annie did it first by reminding him he had other parties to get to.

Maybe she wanted the night to end on that high note. Or maybe she feared he'd be angry if he missed his other parties. Or she was afraid to ruin the night if he stayed longer. It almost seemed odd that fear could get in Annie's way after the night she had – so it wouldn't. Not if Jeff could beat it back for her.

Before he questioned why those thoughts got in his head, he told her, "You know, I can just send pictures of myself to the costume judges. Then they can always mail the trophies here to me, right?"

"Well, you are worth the effort to award sometimes," Annie played along.

Of course, she rolled her eyes when Jeff actually did take pictures of himself with his phone. But when she realized he was sending out pictures as Santa – with his fancy Tarantino suit still covered – she was beaming a bit when he got finished. "What's with the 'Jeff's such a softie' look?" he inquired.

"Nothing," she covered up. But she recovered and went on, "You know, if you are staying here, we don't have to stay at this party. There's not much else to do here and the rest of the group is busy anyway," she gestured at the various, incomprehensible antics of their friends.

"So how do we keep busy, then?" Jeff wondered, ceding control of his night to Annie. Yet while letting someone else have power over his actions was rarely fun, there were a few exceptions – all of which were standing in front of him.

"I'm guessing you were trying to avoid Halloween stuff all day. But now that Halloween's almost over and everyone's in here, maybe you could see what you were missing out there," Annie offered. "Maybe a nice walk around the spooky campus could give you an idea."

Taking a voluntary walk around Greendale – now that pushed the limits of reality. At least it was when other people, classes, Deans and annoying friends/fremies were around. But since those were all right here, maybe the campus would seem less crazy with no one in the halls and quads. Well, no one except for one person. But maybe one wouldn't be so bad. Or one specific one.

After Jeff and Annie left the party and the crowd behind, they found themselves walking all alone down the halls pretty soon. "So this is what Greendale looks like when you stay late and get here early," Jeff commented. "I never ever ever _ever _would have known that before or after tonight."

"Well, I know enough for the both of us," Annie conceded. "I know I'm not the most relaxed person in the world. But when it's all quiet and I'm walking around here early or late, at the school I love where I met all the friends I've ever loved….I come pretty close. Or as close as I can get. But I've got seven months left to get better."

"That sounded pretty coherent. No baby talk or anything," Jeff noted. "I guess your character has taken a big step…." He paused and realized what he set up. "All right, go ahead."

"Go ahead what? Tell me before my wittle head hurts!" Annie slipped back into baby mode. However, it was only for one joke – and Jeff even set it up. One of the more embarrassing incidents of their friendship had finally become something for both of them to laugh at. It took 10 months and a Greendale Halloween party, but it was better than nothing.

And as they walked down the halls, admired and joked about the decorations and then went outside, Jeff found other concerns had faded too. He wasn't worried that any pervert, or man in general, could see Annie in her skimpy attire. He even stopped trying so hard not to look at her bare skin or stocking-clad legs. In fact, he stopped noticing or thinking about the dress and what it showed off altogether.

When Annie talked to Jeff about how she developed this idea, he didn't see a dress. When she reflected on their past Halloweens – and how there was so much of the second and third ones they couldn't remember – Jeff didn't see cleavage. When they compared their first Halloween dance and its sequel, he didn't see a baby. And when they gossiped about Troy, Abed and Britta's super villain outfits, he didn't see any of the other concerns he had about her.

All he saw when he walked and talked with her was Annie. Just Annie. And that made it….fun. Because beyond all that other nonsense, that's what it was to just be around her.

Before that first Halloween, fun was the last word he or anyone else would have used to describe her. But there were many more new words to describe her now – and it was fun to see them all on display tonight. Especially now, when it was all just for him – like the private show he got last Christmas, only with far more increasing returns.

Jeff was now thinking about how he could have had more of these shows over the years. About how they could still pile up now. But before those dangerous thoughts piled up, he noticed they were back in school – and heading towards a familiar room.

He didn't dare to comment on it at that moment. Yet when they actually got to the old Glee storage room and Annie closed the door, Jeff thought he had to break the ice somehow. "So, Mr. Rad's ghost has better things to do than visit here, right?" Jeff settled for.

"We don't even know if he's dead, Jeff. Not on the outside, anyway," Annie jabbed. "If anything, he's haunting Britta right now, so we're safe. From _those_ ghosts of the past, at least."

Jeff sighed, preparing for the mood to get brought down. Even after Annie's brilliant performance tonight, she still felt the need to return here. And he had to be there with her to face it head on. But that was what Annie did – she faced things head on no matter how ugly or embarrassing, or how badly it hurt her or could hurt her. Maybe that canceled out the need for anyone to match her – maybe.

"You know, it's a shame I have to hate Glee and all it stands for," Annie started. "If I wasn't brainwashed and if I could stand organized Glee, I would have liked to sing at their Christmas pageant for real. But not a babyish Santa song, of course….a real Christmas song. One that I loved as a kid."

"You could love those as a kid?" Jeff double checked.

"Oh right, I told Troy and Abed that minefield of holiday traditions stuff," Annie remembered. "Well, the gist of it is that my dad celebrated Christmas and my mom didn't. But when we got to do the Christmas stuff, I loved the songs. Especially when they took my mind off my parents hating each other. And those reunions with high school bullies I'd have after Christmas break."

"Yeah. It's okay to break things in here, right? I mean, since everyone else who came here was broken already and all," Jeff covered up.

"Well, I'm not. In fact, I felt less broken back then when I heard one song. Or sang it to myself where my mom couldn't judge me. If Glee wasn't so despised, or if there was a non-evil Glee teacher with normal vests who didn't rap….maybe I could have snuck in the pageant and sung without being brainwashed. But that's the stuff of fantasy, right? Especially the rap stuff," Annie concluded.

"Except here where no one can hear you but me. Where I first saw the baby Santa routine you've been slaughtering all night," Jeff realized. "And so here I am to see you kill it for good, right? With a real song?"

"Well, I didn't come here planning it! Not entirely," Annie reasoned. "But this is as good a place as any. Where it's just you and me and no one else has to know."

That prospect would have scared Jeff for a number of reasons – not just because of memories from 10 months ago. However, Annie had earned some benefit of the doubt tonight.

So Jeff found the chair that Annie pushed him into last December, and sat down as Annie stood in front of the storage room partition again. "You don't have to do this to impress me. I know you can sing for real already. Don't think I didn't hear about 'haircuts in a box' on my way out of Winter Wonderland," Jeff recalled.

"Oh. I did kind of think that," Annie admitted, a bit embarrassed now. But she regrouped and stated, "Well, if you're not too bitter, you can hear me without sneaking out first. If not, I can still practice for any Thanksgiving musicals. Or whatever holiday musical we'll have this year."

Annie's nonchalant tone betrayed her as she took a deep breath and started preparing. "Since this isn't Christmas, I'll have to change a few lyrics," she warned, as she clearly ran through those changes in her head. When she looked done, she closed her eyes and muttered some vocal warm-ups, while Jeff tried to stay quiet and just watch.

Finally, Annie nodded to herself and took a few more breaths. Then she raised her hands, lowered them down and started singing a familiar Christmas tune with her eyes closed – and with a few new words.

"_Have yourself a merry little Halloween. Let your heart be light. From now on your troubles will be out of sight._" She sung this without a trace of Betty Boop, or any cartoon sexpot, in her voice. It wasn't on a Broadway level, but in its own unconventional fashion, it was still beautiful – in both obvious and subtle ways.

Once she got through those first lyrics, she opened her eyes, smiled at Jeff and got on with the next verse. _"Have yourself a merry little Halloween. Make the graveyard gay. From now on our troubles will be miles away._"

Jeff noticed her smile getting bigger at the troubles part – as he suddenly imagined it would have been when a younger Annie sung it. With that, it got easier to understand why Annie sung the next verse more emotionally.

"_Here we are as in olden days. Happy golden days…of yore_." Jeff found himself on the edge of his seat, seeing Annie remember her golden days – or at least how they were taken away years ago. Unsurprisingly, she teared up a little when she sang, _"Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us…once more."_

Jeff knew she had no faithful friends when she sang this as a kid. But she didn't look as….lost in the past when she focused on him for the next bittersweet lyric.

"_Through the years we all will be together….if the fates allow._" On that line, her eyes closed and her voice shook a little. However, she got herself to look at Jeff again once the fates allowed, and her smile then turned hopeful instead of just teary. She then proceeded a bit louder with, _"Hang a shining star on the Great Pumpkin's bough!"_

Jeff just had to laugh at that parody, and Annie even joined in. But it was only for a second, as she softly sung out the final words. _"And have yourself a merry little Halloween….now..."_

When she let the last note fade away, Annie exhaled and did a ballerina-like curtsy for show. But all Jeff could do was sit in silence with his jaw slack. This was the second time in 10 months Annie made him this speechless in this room.

Yet he was speechless out of confusion, being creeped out and a bunch of other awkward things last time. This time….it was an awed speechlessness on par with the first time Annie let down her hair.

He first discovered a brand new Annie that night, and nothing was ever the same afterwards. But he wasn't discovering a new Annie tonight, as much as finally recognizing the one already there – and accepting just how he wanted to accept her.

"Well, that's what Mr. Rad is missing out on. In whatever town or Glee-free hell he's in," Annie tried to joke. "Come on, that's enough demon killing for one night. Let's go rest our voices and enjoy the rest of the party." Yet before Annie could make her way out, Jeff all but leapt from his chair and stood in front of her.

"Jeff?" Annie suspiciously asked. But Jeff couldn't speak any words in return. He was blocked up yet again, although it wasn't out of confusion or awe. There were just no words for him to tell her what he was finally realizing – not yet, anyway.

Until he found them, he'd have to warm Annie up by showing her. And he did it by putting a hand on the back of her head, leaning down and kissing her.

And when he did, the world didn't end or swallow him up for craving young flesh. Nor did he tell himself it should.

It was a downright Halloween miracle.


	3. Chapter 3

**This last chapter is rated M for smut**

Three seconds into kissing Annie, Jeff became concerned that he didn't feel her kissing back. But she wasn't pulling away either. So he stayed where he was and waited for her to make the next move – which she did when she finally kissed him back. Yet after a few more moments, she finally pulled away – which was probably crueler.

"Oh God, what the hell am I doing?" Annie brought Jeff down even further. "Oh God, it's the damn dress again! It's brainwashing you like it did on Christmas!"

Jeff would have chuckled at Annie's panic, yet he suspected there'd be no more kisses after that. He stayed diplomatic and pointed out, "If clothes themselves had any power, the Dean would have bought them all and used them on me years ago. Hell, I'm wearing his most boring Santa suit and _it's _clearly not making me kiss you!"

"Well, something is! And it's clearly…." Annie trailed off again, regrouping herself slightly. "I didn't want this, Jeff, I swear. I didn't do all this tonight just to kiss you! I know I used your repressed, creepy feelings against you last time, but I'm not now!"

"Okay, first of all, they haven't been _that _repressed for some time. You had to notice that by now," Jeff argued on impulse, trying not to nitpick why he argued _for _his feelings this time. If he stopped and thought about it, he might weasel his way out of this, and he was still on enough adrenaline to not want that.

"How, Jeff? I can't read into anything you say or do anymore, remember? And I just stopped _wanting _to!" Annie shot back, deflating Jeff with memories of the past. "You're just confused by the moment like I was all those times, you _have _to be! But you'll come to your senses in no time, so it might as well be now."

"Why would I want to come to my senses?" Jeff pressed on.

"Because you don't want me! It took a while to get it through my head, but you did it!" Annie praised. "I guess remembering that is my final test tonight. The naïve Santa baby me would have creeped you out and pushed your buttons, but I can't do that now. And if I let myself believe you want me when you don't...I'll just be the same dumb, childish Annie all over again."

Hearing Annie accuse Jeff of not wanting her was one thing – as if that was ever the problem. But saying that stuff about dumb, childish Annie pressed his final button, even if she wasn't trying to. "Annie, _none _of that is you. You only think it is because I'm the dumbass who made you believe it! Well, I'm stopping that now!" Jeff promised.

"But-" However, Jeff didn't even let Annie get further than that. He had to get certain things off his chest before he screwed himself over again.

"Annie, I know you weren't doing this for me. You did it to make yourself better and more adult, and it worked. It worked to remind me you're the best adult I've ever met," Jeff let sink in before continuing. "Even when you're not…..I mean, for all those diminishing returns last year, I still joined Glee _anyway _because of you! I put on a Christmas _sweater _because of you! Brainwashing alone couldn't have made me do _that!_"

"It did enough. You didn't hate yourself for lusting after a young, childish me for _one _hour. That's all it was," Annie reasoned.

"If it was lust, I would have done you and moved on years ago, and you know it! I would have had you right here 10 months ago without the baby talk! Damn it, I probably would have anyway if I didn't give into Glee first!" Jeff admitted.

"I never hated myself for liking you because you were a child! I hated myself because I knew _I _was too much of a child to treat you right, like the adult you _really _are! But as usual, you set the bar for me and now I've got to match it, even if it….intimidates me. Yeah, that's a good enough word," Jeff settled on.

"I wasn't trying…." Annie waved a bit. "Jeff, I'm not forcing you to do anything. You can't do this so I don't cry or freak out, either, because I'm trying not to! Despite your best efforts," she let herself add.

"Well, even if I succeed, don't worry. You can cry and talk like a baby again all you want, but I can't let that scare me off. Not again," Jeff revealed. "As much as that stuff might still weird me out, I can't let it overshadow everything else anymore. The Annie I've been with tonight….hell, the Annie I've been with over the last three years….I can't keep pretending the childish Annie cancels them out. So I'll have to be with the whole gang in _every_ way now."

Jeff did succeed in making Annie cry, but it looked like it was in the good way. But she wasn't making a sound while the tears came down, so this could still go either way. However, she let her hands settle onto Jeff's arms, gliding them down his muscles and his Santa suit – so this was going the greatest way possible.

Yet Annie's doubt still returned as she said, "What if I can't do this? What if I still can't use my sexuality like an adult, Jeff? I mean, last year I dreamed we kissed at the housewarming party! And even _there_,I ruined it by saying you made me think of my dad! I guess I just ruined it with that in real life too, so there you go!"

Well, that did help Jeff come down a bit, before the anticipation could overwhelm him. Yet it wasn't enough to turn him off altogether. It might be because he was too horny and on too much of an honesty high to be creeped out – but Jeff truly hoped it wasn't just that.

And he hoped it wasn't the only reason he said, "Annie, you've been smarter and better than me in every way possible. The very least I can do is help _you_ learn to be better at something. Hell, if there's anything I do know, it's this, right?"

"Not according to Britta," Annie made Jeff relieved – by being better enough to tease him, not because of who she brought up.

"Okay, she's off limits when we're making out too," Jeff informed. But before this made Annie nervous, Jeff took her hand and let it rest in his.

After they both revealed in the look and feel of each other's hands together, Jeff went over, grabbed the chair and led both of them behind the partition – in case someone was suicidal enough to come in and interrupt.

Once Jeff set the chair back down, he sat on it and let Annie stand between his legs. "Just let me _finally_ do this for you….please," he asked a bit more pleadingly than he wanted. But since he rarely had to _ask_ a woman for this before, he could chalk it up to inexperience.

Yet when Annie bent down to finally let Jeff kiss her again, he was back in his element. Nevertheless, he hadn't used his experience quite like this before. The kisses were slower and softer than he was used to, and he thought he'd be more unrestrained by now with her. But this wasn't about that – this time. He had to prove himself now so there could be a next time, and some next times after that too.

Jeff couldn't believe Annie was so worried about being sexual, especially with the ways her lips and tongue rubbed against his own. But he had special ways to use them too, as he proved by breaking from her mouth and gliding them down to her neck. All that exposed skin on her neck, shoulders and upper chest had teased him long enough in that dress.

He thought Annie's lips and tongue were soft enough, yet nothing compared to that exposed skin. Jeff could feel her knees wobbling a bit as he kept kissing – and even nuzzling – her neck while all but massaging her shoulders. When she started moaning, he added suckling to the mix until he got to her collarbone.

"Oh God, Jeff," Annie called out, straight from Jeff's own dreams. However, she did stop the mood – not by being a sexual child, but by pulling back and preparing to lower the dress. Yet Jeff stopped her before she got too far.

"I want that on," Jeff ordered. "Just this once. You can show off the rest all you want next time. But I like what it's showing off right now. Keep it on."

Jeff never imagined he would ask a woman to keep her clothes on. Especially Annie, for a number of reasons. However, after everything that dress had done to him, he felt entitled to enjoy it a while longer. In fact, he was so desperate for it, he even let it slip that there would be a next time.

But perhaps that was what made Annie take it a step further and sit down on his lap, wrapping her legs around him. Once their centers met, their groans canceled each other out as they kept their thighs perfectly still – out of necessity if nothing else. Yet when they weren't on the edge as much, Jeff recovered and put his hands on Annie's waist, finally feeling the soft fabric of the dress – and the softness of the body it contained – at long last.

With Annie in his lap, Jeff had his closest view of Annie's cleavage yet. However, he almost surprised himself by going back to kissing her collarbone instead. But when she moaned and grinded herself against him, he questioned it a little less.

After a few more minutes of just kissing her neck and bare shoulders, Jeff's mind did wander again. With those glorious, half naked boobs finally pressed against his chest and ready for him, he still wasn't even grabbing them. Yet he couldn't stop rubbing his hands over her sexy dress long enough to rub her breasts. And he couldn't stop kissing the perfect, creamy skin of her neck long enough to kiss any lower either.

He would have never waited this long to play with other boobs – ones that didn't compare to Annie's anyway. But they didn't have necks or dresses like Annie's either.

If his mouth wasn't ready to go lower, then maybe his hands were. After all, those stockings were probably just as soft too, to say nothing of what they covered up. So Jeff's hands slid down her dress, over her ass and landed on the legs and stockings that were wrapped around him.

After deeply rubbing her upper thighs and making Annie writhe and shudder, he took a more delicate approach and glided his fingertips up and down her legs. But instead of writhing and shuddering, Annie shook with a bit of laughter instead.

"You're laughing," Jeff noted out loud, just as he figured out why. With a downright evil smirk, he lightly tickled the top of her legs and thighs, making Annie laugh a bit louder. "I will definitely have to remember this next time," Jeff kept giving away, although Annie was probably laughing too hard to hear him.

"Stop it, Jeff! God, I hate you!" Annie cried, yet her laughs betrayed her words – as did the additional grinding. Once that became too much, Jeff showed mercy and just rested his hands on her legs. Annie caught her breath, steadied herself on Jeff's lap and exhaled, yet she still let herself smile.

Jeff could only take that in for a minute before Annie's hands went for his Santa belt. She went even lower than that, but with little room for her, Jeff had to lift the suit up and help her unbuckle his regular belt. Annie was content to let him stay in costume as well, yet settled for just exposing one part of him.

When she pulled it out and studied it, Annie squeezed her thighs together and gripped Jeff a bit tighter. Both actions made Jeff moan, and worry about his endurance for what was to come. However, Annie made it slightly easy on him by getting up, albeit so she could pull her panties down. And when Jeff couldn't help but lift her dress up to peek at her genitalia, he lost his breath for a moment.

He did manage to gaze up and see Annie, looking shy but also looking a bit overwhelmed. But Jeff imagined he looked a might overwhelmed also – perhaps it explained Annie's face as well.

Seeing him look so impressed by her, in a way that no other man had been before, had to be calming her nerves down. Somehow, he was giving her as much confidence, hope and faith in her sexuality as she so often gave him over the years in….well, everything.

It escaped him how every other man was too dumb to do this for her before. But then again, he was among them for far too long. Those days had better be over after tonight, though. Yet as she hovered over his lap and lined up with his erection, he couldn't see how they could continue. Everything now was –

"Wait! Pill! Condom!" Jeff called out. Briefly, he realized the fear of being unsafe for Annie came right before his fear of pregnancy and babies.

"Pill's at home," Annie answered quickly. Jeff breathed a sigh of relief, for probably more than one reason – yet his breath lost him again when Annie's opening touched the tip of his penis. Annie's breathing got heavier when the tip slipped in, but Jeff had just enough conscious thought to put his hand on her and rub her through the pain.

He kissed her chest again as he went in deeper, his left hand stroked her groin and his right went onto her bare backside. After a few more kisses and massages, Annie rested back onto Jeff's lap and laid her face on the top of his head, while adjusting to having all of him inside her. "You okay?" Jeff asked while making his own adjustments.

"You might need new hair gel, but I'll be fine," Annie found the sarcastic reserves to say. Jeff stopped worrying about his hair once Annie kissed his head, feeling like he would let her alter his hairstyle however she wanted. Speaking of which, he had to get back to her hair, which he did as Annie pulled her face back into view and raised her lap a little.

Jeff also grabbed her hair when Annie came back down, but settled for making his first thrust inside her. After a few more practice runs, it felt like they were getting the hang of it. Soon Annie's hips and thrusts met Jeff's as she slowly began to ride him. After looking down at the sight for a moment, Jeff looked back up and was a little surprised to note, "You're smiling."

"Yeah. This is like a fun ride!" Annie explained as she rid him a bit more. Yet that description did sound somewhat kid-like to Jeff. However, before it turned him off and made him rethink a few things, Jeff forgot about her words when she saw her mouth and how it was smiling.

Jeff had always wanted to make women groan, cry out and come undone during sex. Mainly for his own ego's benefit and not theirs, he supposed.

But as he saw Annie enjoy herself, after all her doubts and all he put her through to get here, he realized this was the first time he ever wanted to make someone _smile_ during sex.

Then again, no woman he'd ever been with, or known at all, smiled like Annie. And no man or woman ever smiled at him the way Annie did, which was true even before tonight. Yet to see Annie give him that sweet, loving smile while riding him with that dress on – it was the most erotic thing Jeff had ever seen.

She wasn't even trying to act erotic or extra sexy for him. Yet everything about this and everything about her – even her soft smiles – was sexier than anything even he imagined. It was certainly more beautiful – maybe that was really the right word here. But Jeff wasn't a total girl yet, so he could ignore that a while longer.

"Keep smiling," Jeff let out. Any creepier or girlier concerns would go away as long as Annie kept smiling.

Although she was a little confused, and did more groaning than smiling before long, the focused smiles she did give him were magical. That sappy term likely came from having sex brain, yet Jeff's sex brain had never thought of words like that before.

But if it kept going, it might make other parts of him end this all too soon. So Jeff got Annie to stop smiling by kissing her instead. His right hand went back to her hair to pull her closer, as his left enjoyed the velvet softness of her dress, ass and legs.

Annie seemed to be going on autopilot, as she just rocked against him and moaned into his mouth. This hardly helped Jeff contain himself, so he tried to focus on other things. He tried to think about his old fantasies about Annie in her Santa garb, and how inadequate they seemed now. Eventually, that brought him back to Annie's original routine – and her closing number of "Boopy doopy doop boop sex!"

Instead of letting it creep him out and make him feel like a dirty old man, Jeff realized he could use it to his advantage now. He began thinking of the words "Boopy doopy doop boop sex" and thrusted against Annie to the tune of those words. Not only could he keep pleasing her, but if he kept thinking of those words and thrusting along to them, he might stay distracted enough to last longer.

Jeff kept thinking of the words and timing his thrusts to them – yet the harder he went and the more Annie tightened up and cried out, the shakier his focus got. It didn't get better when Annie broke their kiss, bounced a bit harder on him and groaned out, "More! I'm almost there, please…." Well, she _was_ the quickest learner Jeff ever knew.

Annie further threw off the curve by pressing her chest against Jeff's face and putting her hand on his head. Now Jeff had no choice but to work on her boobs, although he could only get to the cleavage in this angle. But the more he licked it and kissed the top of her heaving breasts, the faster Annie rode him.

As Annie's moans echoed, Jeff's were muffled against her chest, as he still tried in vain to think of "Boopy doopy doop boop sex" instead of cumming. He even muttered the words while trying to thrust, but it was just no use. By the end, he lost it enough to all but growl those words into Annie's chest, right as she tightened up and released around him.

Annie hugged Jeff closer and wrapped her arms around his head, making him nearly unable to breathe against her chest. But he wasn't going to be able to breathe when he came anyway, so it balanced out. He just had enough to growl again and let himself go inside her, almost thankful that Annie couldn't see his contorted face.

When it was finally over, Jeff started breathing again but was now overcome with exhaustion. He was sitting down the entire time, yet the sensations and the eruptions and the….emotions took a lot out of him. The first two made him tired after sex all the time, but this new emotions stuff was a double whammy of its own.

He knew he should have some words for Annie and should check to see she was okay. Yet her own heavy breathing and embrace gave him a good idea. In any case, he just closed his eyes and laid his head on her perfect chest, while letting his hands run over her perfect hair, back, dress, ass and legs ever so slowly. He didn't want to move, and not because he was too tired – but because he was too content to let go.

Given that he wasn't a cuddler before, during or after sex, this should have raised some concerns. But too many had been raised already – too many that he already knew the answer to. So since there was no point in solving the mystery, he surrendered and felt himself drift to sleep with Annie in his lap and arms.

The next thing he knew, he was woken up by some noises outside. Once his eyes shot open, he realized that Annie was still in his arms and asleep too. But he couldn't even savor that for long as the noises woke her up next. With that, she pulled back and finally let Jeff's face get off her chest.

Before she could ask Jeff anything about what that noise was – or about their little nap – Jeff signaled for her to keep quiet. He contained his disappointment when Annie finally got up and got Jeff out of her, then zipped himself up, found Annie's panties and got up on his feet. But when he peeked his head from the partition, he saw that no one else was inside.

By the time he went to the closed front door, he could hear the sounds of marching – but not the unorderly, chaotic Greendale type of marching. He then heard a voice say, "Are you sure no one's in there, sir?"

"If you want to peek in that Glee storage room where Rad worked in, be my guest!" a second voice stated before the first voice shuddered.

"Good point. God, why do we have to wipe their minds on Halloween every year?" the first voice said to Jeff's surprise.

"Because we're better at covering up Pelton's 'taco meat thefts' than stopping them. At least it made them act like werewolves this time. That's better than zombies or last year's vampire attacks!" So that's why Jeff's neck hurt so much after last year's party he didn't remember! Too bad they couldn't wipe out Britta's psych test Britta'ing too, but still!

"Yeah, I'm sure glad I didn't run into Winger and Edison again. At least they were someone else's problem this year. Come on, let's get out of here and get ready for next year's hidden camera ghost attacks," the first voice offered.

After a few moments, Jeff felt safe enough to open the door a crack – just in time to see the last army members and men in black walk by. He promptly closed it again just as Annie came and asked, "What the hell was that?"

Jeff suddenly knew what it was. If he didn't go solo with Annie, he might have gone crazy eating Pelton's meat. And if he didn't come in here with Annie at just the right time, they might have been attacked. And if they did anything different tonight, their memories of the entire night…..this crazy, unbelievably hot night…..would have been erased. And then Jeff would have never….

"We're dating," Jeff suddenly announced. "I knew it before, but this clinched it. We're dating and that's all there is to it. Life and memories are too fragile to waste by not dating."

"Jeff….are you sure?" Annie still sadly felt doubtful enough to check. "I mean, we just had sex and uncovered a government brainwashing conspiracy. This still might be the adrenaline talking."

"I kissed you, cuddled you and made you smile during sex. And it's only by the grace of Mr. Rad's insanity that they let us remember it! I'm never coming that close to losing you again! Um, not for the immediate future, I mean!" Jeff finally backtracked from sounding _too _serious – for the moment.

As Annie began to smile and let herself believe Jeff again, Jeff was amazed at how this came so close to never happening, or being erased. While everyone else forgot tonight, this would be the defining moment of –

"Wait," Jeff switched topics. "If no one else remembers tonight….then the Dean won't make me go to the mall Saturday to pay for the costume! This _is _the merriest Halloween ever!" he celebrated.

"Hold on, Jeff," Annie interrupted. "He'll know something happened when he can't find it in his closet. And we're not sneaking in there to return it with the army leaving. Or with everyone brainwashed! Besides, if he didn't give you that costume, none of _this_ would have happened, would it?"

"Well….it might have taken some different turns," Jeff barely argued.

"Turns that would have gotten us brainwashed. And I've had enough of that myself," Annie reminded. "So that settles it, you're going to the mall with him on Saturday, even if he forgot. And _then_….I can let you recover by taking me to dinner," she added with a knowing but hopeful smile. God, the compromises Jeff was making in this relationship already.

Yet when he said, "Yes, Milady," and saw her light up like a real Christmas/Halloween angel, he suspected he would never pair up Annie and diminishing returns ever again.

**THE END**


End file.
